Record Number: 31479

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Meeting held at Gower Cottage 4th. May 1942.
M. Stevens in the chair.

1. The minutes of the last meeting were read, pronounced rather more accurate than usual, and signed.

[...]

4. First we had the telegram which was from the Alexanders, regretting that a chicken pox epidemic among the children prevented their parents from contributing to our evenings entertainment.

5. Next an essay entitled “An Autumn Ramble” was read by A. G. Joselin and the author was later identified as S. A. Reynolds, who told us that it had been written some 50 years ago.

[...]

7. Roger Moore read an essay entitled “Langdale, Easter 1942” and casting among our members for a rock-climber we soon realized that the author was Knox Taylor. [...]

8. Rosamund Wallis read “Samuel Butler at the Book Club” which was recognised at once as being written by the secretary. She had rather let herself go in an account of an imaginary meeting which explained the unusual brevity and accuracy of this months minutes.

9. “Three Weeks in Kerry” was the title of a most interesting essay read by F. E. Pollard. We had some difficulty in identifying this as being written by his wife – perhaps because although we were told it had been written many years ago in the author’s ‘comparative youth’ our imaginations failed to picture Mrs. Pollard on a perilous journey in an Irish car, holding up an umbrella with one hand and and peeling a hard-boiled egg with the other. [...]

10. A. B. Dilks read a dissertation in which the author wrote for some four or five pages on the difficulty of deciding what to write about. Roger Fry, food, gardens and cats were among the subjects he considered but for one reason or another, laid aside. As members of the Book Club are so noted for beating around the bush we had considerable difficulty in spotting this particular beater — but it proved to be Roger Moore.

[...]
[Signature of] A. B. Dilks 6th June 1942'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

4 May 1942

Country:

England

Time

evening

Place:

city: Reading
county: Berkshire
specific address: Gower Cottage, Elm Road

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary reactive unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Arnold Joselin

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

n/a

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

n/a

Religion:

Quaker or associated with the Friends

Country of Origin:

n/a

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

Members of the XII Book Club

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Sylvanus A. Reynolds

Title:

An Autumn Ramble

Genre:

Essays / Criticism, Geography / Travel

Form of Text:

Unknown

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown

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Source Information:

Record ID:

31479

Source:

Manuscript

Author:

Margaret Dilks

Title:

XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943)

Location:

private collection

Call No:

n/a

Page/Folio:

119–123

Additional Information:

Margaret Dilks was secretary to the XII Book Club from 1940 to 1970. It is inferred from this, and from the handwriting, that she was the author of this set of minutes.

Citation:

Margaret Dilks, XII Book Club Minute Book, Vol. 4 (1938-1943), private collection, 119–123, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=31479, accessed: 19 February 2025

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Additional Comments:

Material by kind permission of the XII Book Club. For further information and permission to quote this source, contact the Reading Experience Database (http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/contacts.php).